Happy Friday, Chicago.

After President Donald Trump’s prime-time speech Wednesday night, the editorial board writes that Americans still have no clear sense of what “victory” in Iran even means as the war drags on. The White House needs to define it. Our second editorial urges vigilance after a string of parking garage crimes — and presses city leaders to have a concrete safety plan in place before the summer rush.

In our opinion section, Illinois Policy Institute duo Mailee Smith and Micky Horstman argue that politicians are starting to notice that Chicagoans have soured on the Chicago Teachers Union, endangering the hefty influence the union spent decades building.

Columnist Elizabeth Shackelford bemoans President Donald Trump’s desire to withdraw the U.S. from NATO, writing that such rhetoric plays into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hands.

Finally, writer Colin Fleming artfully recounts his childhood love of stories, including the ones he heard in church, and in light of Easter, he urges readers to emerge from isolation and into the light of authenticity and community.

Don’t forget to check out reader letters.

— Hilary Gowins, editorial board member

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